Omaha daily bee., 1887-01-03
In THE LAND OF BOHEMIA.
A Glimpse of the Country and its
People.
PRAGUE AND ITS ENviRoNS
Oriental Aspects OF the City-Thc
Best Beer Made in Europe,

Oriental Aspects OF the City-Thc
Rest Beer Made in Europe,
Prague, the capital of Bohemia, is less
known to Americans, writes Albert SUIT
life in the San Francisco Chronicle, than
any European city of the same i'm.
portance. Of Bohemia all Americans
have heard. They all know Bohemian
glass, at least by its limitations, and most
have heard or have drank beer of Pislen
or Budweis, or beverages that bore the
name of these cities. As Protestants
they have had occasion to know of John
Huss, jerome of Prague, George dc
Podiebrad ard Iiska, names associated
with the most troubled times of religious
history, aud as citizens they are aware
OF the Bohemian colonies that are TO be
found IN nearly all the large American
cities. Bohemian immigrants usually
make good citizens. Some of those in
Chicago have been an exception to the rule
but those in San Francisco are quiet, in
dustrious and law.abiding. The Bo-
hemians are skillful at their ordinary
trades. They are good mechanics and
good musicians. In the latter capacity
they are doing good work in all the best
orchestras Of the United States. But of
the country whence these people come
the average American knows almost as
little as of the uncXplorGd regions of
Africa.
THE PEOPLE.
The Bohcmians belong to the great
Slav race and are therefore closely alien
TO the Russians, with whom they sympa-
thize more deeply than any other branch
of the same people now living in Austria,
In proof Of this it may be said that some
of the journals OF Prague have persist
emily supported the policy of Russia in
reference to Bulgaria. 1t Is not known
exactly when the Bohemians came into
Europe, but it was probably before the
commencement of the Christian era.
They are best known in history as
brave and independent people, governed
by hereditary kings or electing them
when they saw fit. The position of the
country is somewhat isolated. 1t lies in
sort of basin formed by the upper Elbe
and its tributary, the Moldau and is sur
rounded on all sides by mountain ranges.
Morayia, usually considered a part of it,
lies further up the Elbe, and is equally
by lofty watershed. To the east is Rus
sian Poland. Being so placed in reference
to other nations, the mainten-
ance of the independence of the
country for some hundred years, when
the means of communication was far
different from what they are at present,
was not difficult. The first troubles of
Bohemia came from the Catholic church
and from the Hapsburgs, who, having
first been elected kings, ended by sup
pressing the parliament and declaring
the crown hereditary in the house of Aus
tra. 1t is one of the crimes of the Haps.
burgs on which English writers-Mr.
Gladstone among others-have loved to
descant. But this does not prevent Eng
lands coming to Austria with its hat in
its hand and begging for an alliance
against ITS old enemy, Russia. 1t is not,
perhaps, so much an alliance that Eng
land seeks as it is the embodiment of the
two empires, in which case she would
withdraw to one side and allow the COM
batants to fight it out among themselves.
Thus Russia would be little longer de-
layed in its inevitable progress toward
the Indian ocean.
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
Bohemia was one of the first countries
in Europe that embraced the reformed
doctrines. This ended in the mertyrdom
of Huss and the desolation of the country
by domestic feud and foreign invasion.
This was done before the thirty years
war. which began with the over act of
Prague, namely, the throwing of the i'm.
pcIltl llOill thC NlhNipNs
of the palace by the Count of 'raunn. War
followed at once, and what that war was
to Germany-a war made for the pleas
ure of the Hapsburgs-every one knows
who has read at all the history of the
period. The Protestant forces, COM
manded by Maurice, eiector OF SaxOny,
were defeated at the battle of White
mercy of Ferdinand III, Emperor of
Austria. He summarIly elected all the
preachers, schooimasters, professors, and
gave up all the churches to monks I'M
ported from all parts of Europe.
All who We're not Catho-
lies were forbidden to eXer-
else any trade or handicraft
whatsoever. The severest penalties were
imposed on all who retained the Protest
ant form of worship. The sick were
driven from the hospitals. Protestant
burghers were expelled. The poor were
compelled to become Catholics en-
masse. The remotest villages were Wis
tied by missionaries and compelled by
force to embrace Catholicism. Those
who refused were tortured, rackcd and
mutilated. Women and children were
outraged by brutal soldicry, Many
were diven to the mountains, where they
pcrished, and 10000 of the best citizens
of the country emigratcd, as did the HUI
Guenots of France after the revocation of
the edlct of Nantes. It has been said that
the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the
church. This rule, if it can be called a
rule, seems to have failed in this in
stance. Professionalism was thoroughly
extirpated, and the number of Protestant
churches now to be found in Bohemia can
almost be counted on the fingers of the
two hands.
WORK OF vANDALs.
1t would have been well if the persecu-
tion of the Hapsburgs had paused here.
But it did not. At different times during
the periods of religious disturbance at
tacks were made on the literature and
language of the people, 1t was forbid
den TO use the Bohemian language oili-
cially, and books in the native tongue
were everywhere searched for and so
thoroughly destroyed that one could
afterwards scarcely be found in the whole
country, though the literature had
already reached considerable degree of
development 1t is acts like these that
have made the name OF Hapsburg syn
onymoss with tyranny and caused the
deterioration of a people at once honest,